By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, May 16: The Minister of the Department of Health Dr. Tsering Wangchuk today acknowledged the lag and neglect in the preventive healthcare efforts by the department while mentioning that remedial measures have been lined up accordingly to address the areas of improvement.
“We acknowledge the gaps pointed out by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in preventive healthcare during the Men-Tsee-Khang centennial celebration day on March 23, and accordingly we have planned a multitude of steps to address the same,” said the Health Kalon at the first day of the special meeting organised by the Department to improve and strengthen the overall public health services, prevention healthcare and healthcare administration of the Tibetan community.
The meeting that will go on until May 19 will expound on seven prime agendas related to Tibetan public health and derive a list of recommendation for the Kashag to act upon. The recommendations proposed by 129 participants from various locations in India and Nepal consisting of doctors from western as well as traditional Tibetan medicines, nurses, healthcare professionals, administrators will be submitted to the Kashag after the meeting.
The Tibetan prime minister Lobsang Sangay, who attended the opening, told participants, “The emphasis should be on recognizing this meet as forum to pool in constructive and genuine suggestions and to ideate on means to contribute to a better health care system and administration.” The Sikyong who recently won his second term in office also spoke on His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressing appreciation on the purposes and objectives of the special meeting.
One of the participants, Dr. Dhundup Tashi, Physician and Surgeon at Ganden Jangtse Hospital in Mundgod Tibetan settlement, told journalists, “Personally I feel there is need for measures to not only attract new doctors for service into Tibetan settlements but to retain them as well. The shortage of health professionals is a one of the major problems that we are facing.”
Tashi, who formerly worked as a physician at the Delek Hospital before joining the current hospital, said, “The administration should provide opportunities for existing doctors to widen their expertise and career scopes like further education for designations such as MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MS (Master of Surgery). Such changes can only be made on an administrative level and will ensure sustainability of human resources in the healthcare. I personally think remuneration or even facilities are not the main causes behind the small number of professionals opting for service,” he adds.
The three day special meeting is one of the many activities that the DoH has initiated ever since the public censure by the Dalai Lama who said there has been apparent lagging in the preventive healthcare sector. Many ambitious plans such as “Tibetan healthcare capacity strengthening project” and the goal to eradicate TB from the Tibetan community were also introduced by the Health Kalon in front of a packed hall in Tibetan reception centre, here in Dharamshala.
